Plaid Cymru leader's future in doubt after bullying review

Adam Price has been Plaid Cymru's leader since 2018

The future of Adam Price's leadership of Plaid Cymru is in doubt ahead of crunch talks of the party's ruling body on Wednesday night.

The meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) comes after news website Nation.Cymru reported Mr Price has agreed to quit as party leader.

It follows a damning review which alleged misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.

The party said the meeting will consider "the next steps".

On Tuesday a Plaid politician could not say if Adam Price would be in charge next week.

Sources speaking to BBC Wales said a statement could come from the leader after the NEC meeting.

Senedd members held talks on Tuesday to discuss the report's findings. Mr Price apologised but refused to quit when the document was published last week.

Plaid Cymru is the third largest party in the Welsh Parliament, with 12 Members of the Senedd and three MPs in Westminster.

The pro-independence party is in a co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government.

• Plaid Cymru hold talks on bullying report

• Probe finds bullying and misogyny culture in Plaid

• Price concerned over Plaid culture accusations

Mr Gruffydd, MS for North Wales and Senedd Plaid group chair, declined to say if Mr Price had the support of the party group when interviewed by ITV's Sharp End programme.

He said: "I'm not going to enter into gossip of that sort.

"You cannot pin this on one solitary single person - this is a much wider corporate issue that Plaid Cymru is grappling with."

When asked if Mr Price will be leader by next week, Mr Gruffydd said: "I don't have a crystal ball, but what I do know is that our priority is making sure we respond in the most positive way possible to the accusations made in that report."

Has Adam Price stepped down as Plaid Cymru leader?

Late Tuesday night Nation.Cymru reported that Adam Price had agreed to step down as leader of Plaid Cymru.

The website said it understood he wants to leave the post at once, but that others are wanting a more organised handover.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Nation Cymru's associate editor, Martin Shipton, said the Senedd group "were discussing not whether Adam Price should go but when he should go".

He added: "It seems there wasn't an immediate resolution.

"Mr Price wanted to go immediately but there were others at the meeting that thought there should be a more orderly handover.

"A lot of pressure has been brought to bear on him."

Mr Shipton said the current situation "can't go on", as the party is "submerged" in allegations.

Meanwhile Labour's Education Minister Jeremy Miles said Plaid Cymru needed to act on the Nerys Evans report into Plaid Cymru's internal culture.

But he said the future of the leader Adam Price was a "matter for Plaid Cymru".

"The report which they received makes grim reading. No one should face that kind of harassment in the workplace or anywhere else," he said.

Mr Miles said there will "need to be discussions" between the Welsh government and Plaid "in light of these developments".

But the minister said the co-operation deal did not amount to a "general endorsement" of the party.

Speaking on Radio Cymru's Dros Ginio programme, journalist and political commentator Dylan Iorwerth said that as he understood things, Adam Price has not said that he is stepping down.

But he said that "that's one of the possibilities" that will be discussed by the NEC.

"I understand there'll be a number of possibilities before the NEC. Resigning is one of them, but also staying on perhaps with conditions attached. I don't know the details - but clearly the NEC meeting will be crucial."

'Think carefully'

Former Plaid Cymru chair and assembly member Alun Ffred Jones said that unless there's "a clear plan in place for what comes next", Adam Price should "definitely" stay in his role.

"I would think carefully before making any kind of rash decision, and I'd say that to Adam too, if he needs telling."

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said on Wednesday morning: "Last night, the Plaid Cymru Senedd Group met to discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the Prosiect Pawb [Everyone's Project] report.

"Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price has subsequently called a special meeting of the NEC where the next steps for the party will be discussed.

"Plaid Cymru's priority remains the well-being of its staff and members, and fostering a culture which is safe, inclusive and respectful to all."

Last week's report said Plaid Cymru needs to "detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny".

It said "too many instances of bad behaviour" were tolerated.

The review said an anonymous survey of staff and elected members highlighted examples "of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination".

What is Plaid Cymru?

• Founded in 1925

• First MP Gwynfor Evans elected in 1966 Carmarthen by-election

• Currently has 3 MPs at Westminster and 12 Senedd members in Cardiff Bay

• Third largest party in 60-member Senedd, behind governing Labour Party and the Conservatives

• In co-operation agreement since 2021 with Welsh Labour ministers on 46 policy areas

• Campaigns for Welsh independence

• Plaid Cymru means Party of Wales in Welsh